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First Team

ALLEGRI HAS NO REGRETS

Massimiliano Allegri after the match at the Nou Camp: “Disappointing for the fans and the club, but now we will concentrate on the league.”

MILAN – Post match reaction from players and management after this evening’s match at the Nou Camp:

MASSIMILIANO ALLEGRI

“Barcelona did very well for the first half an hour. They had four shots from outside the area in the first half and the players did well top concede so little. Niang hitting the post was a big chance for us. The fourth goal was a disappointment as we could have knocked the ball into the box and looked to score ourselves. Now we have to concentrate on the league. It’s disappointing as we had a good chance tonight and the players did well to create that chance. Sometimes, matches are decided by centimeters and this time it was the post that kept the ball out. Pazzini would have been an important player tonight in the last 20 minutes. Myself and the players have nothing to regret though. I’m sorry for the club and the fans but given the young age of the squad that we have now, there’ll be time to get to another Champions League semi-final or even the final. Sunday is another game and we shouldn’t look back. For the first goal we could have defended better and I think in the end it’s a part of the growing process that this team needs. Even at 3-0 we had a couple of chances to go through. The first half hour was very tough. We should have just knocked the ball away. Instead we tried to play ball and we lost. The players should be satisfied with what they did. With a bit of luck we’d be here talking about a completely different result. Now we thing about Palermo. The team is in good shape and we’ll be ready for Sunday.”

IGNAZIO ABATE

"We gave them the first half, we didn’t play at all and that was a mistake. You can’t just give them an entire half of the game. We created three or four chances in the second half but we didn’t make the most of them. This is a stadium that will put you under pressure but we can’t point the finger at our younger players because they’ve given so much and they’re doing so well. They started very well but they were scared after the first leg result, we had a couple of chances but we didn’t take them. There’s a bit of bitterness as we could have managed things better in the middle of the field. It’s shame as we had the chance to do them some damage. This season was a real chance to go further in this completion and to knock them out. The main objective is the league and we can’t drop our guard, Palermo have changed their coach and Sannino will play with 11 men in defense. There are about 5 teams within a five point distance and we can’t give up.”

BOJAN KRKIC

“I’m disappointed for how the game went, if we had scored instead of hitting the post it would have been different. We were very happy after the game at the San Siro and we fought hard here to protect our advantage. Barcelona are a great team but they’re human as well. There was a lot of criticism after the first leg result but that’s football. Now we have to focus on the league.”

MAURO TASSOTTI

“These are great games and we struggled to get some passes together in the first 15 minutes. They scored and after that they gained confidence. Then we had that chance that came off the post and that would have changed things. After that the game was played well and even after the third goal we would have needed only one to get through. They’re definitely further ahead than us. We played a perfect game in the first leg making them play badly but we knew it would be tough for us here. They pressed very high and they had a couple of chances. The third goal came from their pressure as well. They’re the best team in the world and even with very little space to play in they can do amazing things. We tried everything. The anomaly came from the first leg result. When Barcelona play like this, they’re a tough side for anyone. It would a special and a tough match and we all knew this. Now we have to keep our heads high and think of the league. We’ve done well to get back to where we are and we’ll have to be careful on Sunday as we’ll be up against a team that can cause us problems.”

MASSIMILIANO ALLEGRI (Press conference)

“I don’t think the first leg result changed the value of these two teams. Milan this evening played a worse game than we did in the first leg and in the first half an hour of the match, they didn’t allow us to play. We made a lot of technical mistakes and then when they slowed down, we had a chance through Niang. Barcelona deserved the end result. Getting through to the next round would have been a big achievement for us. I’m very sad for the players and when a team plays a match like this with five debutants, there can be some mistakes. I’m sorry for the fans and for the club as well. It was a question of centimeters, if Niang had scored that chance we’d be here talking about a completely different result. With Villa up front, Messi was playing between the lines. We kept pushing even after the 3-0 and we created some problems for them. If you have 6 or 7 chances against Barcelona, you have to make them count. We’ll get back to the league now. I thought that Niang could have caused problems with his pace but especially in the first half, when we couldn’t get out of our half, we needed Pazzini’s experience. Niang gave all he could and he had that chance when he hit the post as well. Time is on his side. I thing that seeing Iniesta dribbling as he was after 90 minutes played, really says a lot. It’s a question of centimeters and if Niang’s shot had gone in, it could all have been different. We shouldn’t have conceded the fourth goal. We did well in the first leg but Barcelona’s potential hasn’t changed. They’re the best team in the world with the trio of Messi, Iniesta and Xavi.”